‘When I took office as minister, I knew that we were faced with enormous tasks in agriculture, horticulture and fisheries,’ explains the outgoing minister. ‘Farmers and fishermen need certainty about where the sector is heading. As a former entrepreneur, I sympathize with them. I came to The Hague at the beginning of this year to make the transition to circular agriculture based on that enthusiasm. I asked myself the question: am I the right person to lead the major tasks that lie ahead as a minister? I myself came to the conclusion last weekend that I am not that person.’
Today I have decided to step down as Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. Below I explain my decision. pic.twitter.com/NcaRSM8Ou0
— Henk Staghouwer (@ministerlnv) September 5, 2022
Prime Minister Rutte expresses his ‘appreciation for the work that Staghouwer has done as a minister’. “I respect his brave decision to step down and wish him every success in the future.”
Much appreciation for the work Henk Staghouwer has done as Minister of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality. I respect his brave decision to step down from his duties and wish him every success in the future. Minister Carola Schouten is taking over his portfolio for the time being.
— Mark Rutte (@MinPres) September 5, 2022
Staghouwer (60) has requested the king to resign from Tuesday. Staghouwer’s predecessor and fellow party member Carola Schouten, now Minister for Poverty Policy, will take over the agricultural portfolio until a successor has been appointed. Staghouwer has been a minister in the fourth Rutte cabinet since 10 January. Before that, he was a member of the provincial council of Groningen for eight years. He also managed the agricultural portfolio there.
Segers: a bitter moment
ChristenUnie party leader Gert-Jan Segers calls the resignation of his party colleague ‘a bitter moment’. ‘This is a sad day for me. Nine months ago, Henk had the courage to say ‘yes’ when I asked him to become a minister. I have seen up close how he has given everything to fulfill that tough responsibility. Even when it was tough.’ Segers now has to look for a permanent replacement for Staghouwer. In principle, the ChristenUnie has the right to nominate a successor.
Staghouwer had been under fire from the House of Representatives for some time. During parliamentary debates, he looked insecure and was often firing. The rest of the cabinet had entrusted him with the task of offering Dutch livestock farming prospects in the nitrogen crisis. On the day of June that his colleague minister Christianne van der Wal (Nature and Nitrogen) presented strict ammonia reduction targets for agriculture, Staghouwer should have given farmers hope in an accompanying letter to parliament by offering them a beckoning future perspective, based on a more sustainable revenue model.
But the letter Staghouwer produced did not contain any concrete measures. His failure deepened the confidence gap between the cabinet and the agricultural sector. Staghouwer was commissioned by his fellow ministers to compose a better letter to parliament. This will come at the end of September, after VVD celebrity Johan Remkes presented his final report on the consultations between the farmers’ organizations and the cabinet.